Page 82 - The Art of Learning by Josh Waitzkin_Neat plip book

CHAPTER 10

INVESTMENT IN LOSS

When Chen asked me to start attendi ng Push Hands classes, I was of two

minds. Up to this point, Tai Chi was a haven. My relations hi p to it was very
personal, and the meditative practice was doing wonder s for my life. Steppi ng
into the martial side of the art, I feared, might def eat my pur po se. I di dn’t feel
like opposing anybody. I did quite eno ugh of that on the ches sbo ard. But the n,

with more thought, it seemed like a nat ur al progr ession: I was abl e to stay
relaxed when doing Tai Chi on my own, and now the challenge woul d be to
maintain and ultimately deepen that relaxation under increasing pressur e. Also,
from what I had read, the essence of Tai Chi Chuan as a martial art is no t to

clash with the opponent but to blend with hi s energy, yield to it, and overcome
with softness. This was enigmatic and interesting, and maybe I’d be abl e to
apply it to the rest of my life. E nough s aid. I was in.
When I walked into my first Pus h Hands class, it was like ent ering a

different school. I was on the same wooden floor I had been coming to for
beginner classes for the past five mont hs , but everythi ng felt hei ght ene d. New
faces everywhere, a more martial atmospher e. Chen ’s advanced stude nt s filtered
throughout the room stretching, worki ng the heavy bag , meditating with

mysterious airs. I had no idea what to expect . William Chen walke d to the
front of the class and we took abo ut six minut es to move thr ough the form, a
warm-up that precedes every Push Hands session at the school. The n all the
students paired up to begin practice. Master Chen walked over to me, took my

arm, and led me to a clear spot on the floor. He raised hi s wrist, and motione d
with his eyes for me to follow. We each stood with our right legs forward, and
the backs of our right wrists touching. He as ked me to pus h hi m.